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Friday, February 17, 2012

Have you been on Youtube recently? If so, you probably happened upon a clip of an irate (REALLY irate) North Carolina father, Tommy Jordan. The source of his ire is his bratty teenage daughter, Hannah, who had the gall to post a nasty message about her parents on Facebook. Oh, and she made sure to block them to ensure that they would never, ever, ever see what she really thought of them. Well....although teenagers think that they're smart, they are actually pretty predictable! What baby girl forgot is that her father is an IT professional (ROTF). Yep, you guessed it...Daddy hacked in and was able to read the public dissertation filled with all sorts of colorful vocabulary. (Kudos to dad for keeping up with what his daughter is doing online:)

So...in response, her father turned the tables around and used the very same social media outlet to teach his daughter a lesson. He sports a cowboy hat, puffs on the cigarette, and eloquently recites his daughter's FB entry. Then, just when you think it will end, the dad gets real melodramatic and pulls out a gun. You just have to watch the clip to get the full picture. But, please note that this is NSFW due to the language.

Now, you all know me well enough by now to know that I believe in level headed parenting. However, I do think that this video shows a father who is beyond fed up with his child, and is at a loss for what else to do. There are so many parents who are in the same boat. There are also so many other ways that he could have reacted that would have made the same point. Instead of making such a public display, he should have opted to handle this matter privately. By the way, Child Protective Services did pay him a visit after viewing his video. I can understand why they needed to make sure that Hannah was okay.

Though I do not know this family, it is probable that Hannah has been acting out for some time. Most kids don't use the words that she used to describe their parents! After just a little bit of research, I found that Hannah has only been living with her father and step-mother for 6 months. Prior to this she lived with her biological mother. Perhaps she is having a difficult time adjusting to her parents' divorce. My hope is that Jordan will put down the gun, and will instead focus on identifying the underlying reasons for his strained relationship with his daughter. Nonetheless, I am happy that the bullets were fired at a laptop. In so many cases, family members turn their rage on each other.

While I am somewhat empathetic to this father, I have very harsh words for an Arkansas mom who also decided to issue some tough love. The difference...her parenting tactics jeopardized her son's safety. Now, she faces child endangerment charges. Watch and tell me if you think the police is overreacting.

Welcome Pundits....

I'm a mommy of two and a School Psychologist who often doubles as a media parenting consultant. As you'll find...I'm passionate about all things related to children and families. Although I'm not always politically correct...I'm always honest:)